The following is a letter sent by the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge to our senators, representatives and President Obama.

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By Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge

Oakridger - Oak Ridge, TN

By Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge

Posted Dec. 6, 2012 at 7:42 PM
Updated Dec 6, 2012 at 7:44 PM

By Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge

Posted Dec. 6, 2012 at 7:42 PM
Updated Dec 6, 2012 at 7:44 PM

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The following is a letter sent by the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge to our senators, representatives and President Obama.

Across America, free and charitable clinics are providing much needed access to health care to the medically underserved, leveraging our paid staff with thousands of professional and lay volunteers. Free and charitable clinics receive little to no state or federal funds, and rely heavily on charitable donations to support the critical work we do on a daily basis.

As the Administration and Congress seek to balances tax reform, deficit reduction and the fiscal cliff with the need to continue to care for our poor and medically underserved citizens, we urge you to retain the current charitable deduction, which has for decades been an effective strategy for incentivizing support for essential nonprofit activities, such as providing core community health care to vulnerable populations.

Nonprofits generate $1.1 trillion every year in the form of jobs and services. One in 10 U.S. workers are employed by the nonprofit sector, which provides 13.5 million jobs, or approximately 10 percent of the country's workforce. Employees of nonprofit organizations received roughly 9 percent of wages paid in the United States in 2009, and the nonprofit sector paid $668 billion in wages and benefits to its employees.

Now is the time to maintain incentives to support the crucial work of the entire nonprofit sector creating jobs, improving education and health, providing basic services to those in need, developing medications, protecting the environment, and enhancing arts and culture.

A strong philanthropic sector can and should be viewed as a key partner in maintaining the nation's economy. Free and charitable clinics’ role as an investor in innovation and supporter of safety net services is more important than ever in supporting a faster, sustainable economic recovery.

Nonprofits and charitable organizations, supported through the generosity of millions of Americans, have been crucial during times of crisis. As you can imagine, any cap or limitation on charitable deductions undermines altruistic giving and would have long-lasting negative consequences.

The charitable deduction is different than other itemized deductions in that it encourages individuals to give away a portion of their income to those in need. It rewards a selfless act, and it encourages taxpayers to give more to charities than they would otherwise have given.

In 2011, individuals gave nearly $300 billion to support charitable causes, according to Giving USA.

Much of that is claimed as a charitable deduction by millions of taxpayers each year, meaning they are not subjected to federal income taxes on money they give away to charities.

Higher-income taxpayers account for a large part of individual giving. According to a recent Congressional Budget Office report on the tax treatment of charitable giving, tax filers who reported adjusted gross income of at least $100,000 in 2008 were responsible for well over half (about 58 percent) of all charitable giving by taxpayers.

Page 2 of 2 - People give to worthwhile causes for many reasons — incentives such as tax deductions being among them. Tax incentives make more and larger gifts possible, and those incentives do have an impact on donors. A recent 2012 study found 33 percent of donors surveyed would reduce their giving if the charitable deduction did not exist. A survey conducted earlier this year showed three out of four Americans say they do not favor cutting, capping or limiting the charitable tax deduction.

Tax policy experts have also noted charitable giving is more sensitive to tax changes compared to other deductible payments, such as local taxes and mortgage interest because taxpayers generally cannot adjust or modify their local taxes or mortgage payments. However, taxpayers can adjust their levels of charitable contributions quite easily in response to tax code changes.

We urge you to protect the current charitable deduction to promote a vibrant charitable sector and the benefits that nonprofits provide to the economy and to the American public.

The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Executive Director Nicole Lamoureux Busby would be happy to meet with you or your staff to discuss the impact that a limitation on the Charitable Deduction would have on our clinic's ability to service the medically underserved. Nicole can be reached at NicoleCw.nafcclinics.org or via the phone at (703) 647-7427.

Free and Charitable Clinics are working to build a healthy America one patient at a time. We look forward to continuing our work with you to strengthen the positive effect that nonprofits have in communities, and the millions of people who depend on their programs and services.

We look forward to working with you to secure the charitable deductions that are vital for nonprofits and the millions of people who depend on their programs and services.

This open letter was submitted by the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, board of directors, staff and volunteers.